Distribution Coefficients of Sodium Chloride on Konjac and Mackerel in Prepackaged Food

Abstract

The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of coexisting components in the filler, sterilization time, and solid-to-filler ratio of prepackaged food on the amount of seasoning sorbed on solid food. To evaluate the mass transfer of seasonings in food, konjac or mackerel with either a sodium chloride solution or a model solution as a filler were prepackaged. The distribution coefficient of sodium chloride (i.e., the ratio of the amount of sodium chloride sorbed on the solid food to the concentration of sodium chloride in the solution) for konjac was approximately 0.76 × 10^-3 m³/kg and that for mackerel was approximately 0.40 × 10^-3 m³/kg. These values are similar to those obtained when the model solution is used. Changes in sterilization time and solid-to-filler ratio did not significantly affect the distribution coefficients. The values of the distribution coefficients for commercial canned fish were similar to those obtained experimentally.